The Centre for Alternative Dispute resolution (CADR), Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Punjab is ecstatic to welcome you to the most anticipated event 6th RGNUL National Sports & Entertainment Mediation Law Competition – 2024, wherein teams representing the top universities participate from all over the country.
About RGNUL
Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law (RGNUL), Punjab, was established by the State Legislature of Punjab by passing the Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Punjab Act, (Punjab Act No. 12 of 2006). The Act incorporated a University of Law of national stature in Punjab, thereby fulfilling the need for a Centre of Excellence in Legal Education in the modern era of globalization and liberalization.
About CADR
The Centre for Alternative Dispute resolution (CADR), Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law has been established to promote students’ and researchers’ interest in Alternative Dispute Resolution consisting dispute resolution mechanisms like Arbitration, Negotiation, Mediation and Conciliation. Started in 2018, the Centre strives to organize stimulating discourses which is relevant to, not only the academia, but also the professional world and thus add to, and enhance the literature of ADR. In pursuance of its objectives, CADR has initiated various novel and successful events, lectures, competitions et. al. in collaboration with the valued partners in the professional and academic world.
About 6th RGNUL National Sports & Entertainment Law Mediation Competition, 2024
We are delighted to announce the Sixth Edition of the RGNUL National Sports & Entertainment Law Mediation Competition 2024, organised by the Centre for Alternative Dispute Resolution, Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Punjab and India’s leading law firm Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas. The competition is scheduled to take place in online format from 29th to 31st March, 2024. The competition will host teams from all across India, chosen based on the experience and accomplishments of the universities in the field of Alternative Dispute Resolution. The objective of the competition is to instill soft-skills of mediation and commercial awareness in law students from across the globe, set to practice law.
About Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas – Principal Knowledge Partner
Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas (CAM) is India’s leading law firm with a global reputation of being trusted advisers to its clients. The Firm advises a large and diverse set of clients, including domestic and foreign commercial enterprises, financial institutions, private equity and venture capital funds, start-ups, government and regulatory bodies. The Firm generalists, specialists and senior ex-regulators expertly guide clients across a spectrum of transactions, sectors and regulations. The Firm is one of the largest full-service law firms in India with over 1000 lawyers including 170 Partners and has offices in key business centres at Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chennai, GIFT City and Singapore.
The Firm received “National Law Firm of the Year: India” at the IFLR Asia-Pacific Awards for the second consecutive years in 2023 and 2022 and “Innovation in Advancing Markets” award at the FT Innovative Lawyers Asia Pacific 2022 Awards. The Firm had won “India Deal Firm of the Year” at the ALB India Awards and “Firm of the Year” at the IFLR1000 India Awards in 2022.
About Markanda Advocates – Expert Partner
Markanda Advocates, a top law firm in Delhi and a leading Arbitration Law Firm in India, specializes in handling significant claims. They serve as legal counsel in various domestic and international arbitrations, including investor-state and construction disputes. The firm also assists in dispute resolution through negotiations and mediation, with lawyers often acting as arbitrators. Collaborating closely with clients’ in-house legal teams, they offer expertise in resolving disputes and frequently partner with co-counsel seeking a team that respects existing client relationships.
About SCCOnline Blog – Media Partner
The Supreme Court Cases, or SCC, is the law report that was started in 1969 and currently has over 400 volumes. With a wide audience and extensive circulation, it is the leading law report in India. The Supreme Court of India and other courts in India, along with all other standard works of the law, cite it 67% of the time. Other apex courts, including the House of Lords, the South African Constitutional Court, the VSSC, the Pakistan Supreme Court, the Bay Supreme Court, and Malaysian courts, also cite it. The entire legal community respects and recognises the standard of legal reporting set by the SCC.
About Eastern Book Company – Media Partner
The EBC Group, which was founded in 1942, is the industry leader in legal publishing, with offices in several Indian cities and abroad. In the 1940s, two brothers, the late Shri C.L. Malik, and the late Shri P.L. Malik, together laid the foundation of EBC group. EBC has traditionally focused on publishing legal commentaries, student texts, law reports, and digests. Nowadays, EBC works in both print and electronic media. Supreme Court Cases (SCC), SC Yearly Digest and Complete Digest, SCC Online, EBC Webstore, EBC Student Books and Practitioner Commentaries, EBC Reader, SCC Online Blog, EBC Explorer, and Practical Lawyer magazine are the products of the EBC Group.
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DAY 1 – INAUGRAL CEREMONY
2:00 PM – Mr. Rachit Somani, one of the convenors of the Centre for Alternative Dispute Resolution (CADR), gave welcome addresses to start off the ceremony. A brief overview of the event was provided to the participants. After that Fixtures were released to assign each team to the respective side they would be exercising for in the preliminary rounds.
Prelims rounds begins tomorrow at 9:45 am, and the following teams will be head to head for the title of Best Negotiating Pair.
| GLC, Mumbai |
| NLSIU, Bangalore |
| VIPS |
| NLUO |
| UPES |
| DNLU, Jabalpur |
| UILS, Chandigarh |
| NLIU, Bhopal |
| MNLU, Nagpur |
| OP Jindal |
| IOL, Nirma Univ |
| Law College Dehradun, Uttaranchal University |
| NALSAR |
| SLS, Pune |
| NLUJ |
| Lloyd Law College |
| School of Law, Christ University |
| NUALS, Kochi |
| WBNUJS |
| AIL, Mohali |
| Sastra deemed to be Univ |
| Central Univ of South Bihar |
| NMIMS, Navi Mumbai |
| KPMSOL |
| KIIT School of Law |
| NLUJA, Assam |
| School of Excellence in Law, Chennai |
| CNLU, Patna |
| HPNLU |
| NLUD |
| Manipal University, Jaipur |
| IILM University |
| MNLU, Mumbai |
| Disha Law College, Raipur |
| IFIM LAW SCHOOL |
| School of Law, Bennett University |
| SLS, Hyderabad |
| DSNLU Jabalpur |
We wish all the competing teams best wishes for the prelims rounds.
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DAY 2 – PRELIMINARY ROUNDS
Preliminary Rounds 1
The general information for preliminary rounds 1 titled “The Clash of Branding Philosophies: Individual v. Collective Commitments”, the issue centers on a conflict between a soccer player and a company named Global Stars United (GSU) in regards to conflicting branding philosophies between the two. It shall be an intellectually stimulating experience for the participants to offer their perspectives and negotiate on behalf of their respective sides.
10:00 AM – With the participants receiving their CIs and assessors being briefed about the first preliminary round, the event got off to a great start. The rounds will begin soon.
10:45 AM – The session are well under way, and the sides are calmly looking to start reducing their differences and finding a common ground. Both have their eyes on the task at hand and are engaged. Assessors are studying and analyzing the points raised by the parties with great attention.
11: 15 AM – As the negotiations go, the parties attempt to strengthen their positions. In some rooms, the atmosphere becomes heated, and persuasive maneuvers are used in discussions, whereas in others, issues are resolved amicably, and teams engage in healthy discussions and try to find common ground, paving the way for collaborative solutions.
11:30 AM – With negotiations approaching the final phase, the teams are trying to reach a consensus and make an agreement which favours both the parties. Despite the intensity of discussion teams are trying to hold the decorum and facilitate a conclusive solution.
11:45 AM – After a collaborative and fruitful yet heated negotiation sessions, the assessors are now outlining gaps or issues in the arguments provided by both the parties. Alongside profound questions are being asked by the assessors, which are thoughtfully answered by the participants. With this preliminary rounds 1 are successfully come to and end. Preliminary rounds 2 shall start soon.
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Preliminary Round 2
12:30 PM – While the CI for preliminary rounds 2 is being revealed, assessors are being briefed on the round 2 issue. The prop for the round 2 is named “PROJECT X – WHAT NEXT?”. The GI revolves around a dispute two moviemakers.
12:50 PM – 2nd Preliminary rounds have started and both sides are eager to have the problems settled amicably. Assessors are closely examining and evaluating the arguments made by the parties.
1:00 PM – The mediation session is proceeding smoothly as teams engage in intensive discussions and problem-solving exercises. Participants are showcasing their skills in mediation and dispute resolution techniques in an attempt to reach win-win agreements and strive for peaceful resolutions to the agenda. Judges are closely monitoring the proceedings and evaluating each competitor.
1:20 PM – Teams are exhibiting and creating a friendly environment during talks. They have made excellent efforts to make their opinions clear and to foster understanding amongst them. Trust and cooperation have been fostered by this open and courteous communication, which has created a favorable atmosphere for constructive dialogue.
1:40 PM – The second round of preliminary rounds is now over. The rounds concluded with the assessors giving the teams feedback, which the participants kindly accepted and will hopefully apply in further negotiation sessions.
3:00 PM – After successful completion of 2 preliminary rounds, the time has come to release the names of the teams who have qualified for the Quarter-Finals. The teams are namely –
Negotiating Pairs –
- NLIU, Bhopal
- NUALS, Kochi
- Sastra deemed to be University
- KPMSOL, Mumbai
- National Law University, Odisha
- OP Jindal Global University
- AIL, Mohali
- CNLU, Patna
Mediators –
- UPES, Dehradun
- School of Law, Christ University
- School of Excellence in Law, Chennai
- SLS, Pune
- Sastra deemed to be Univ
- SLS, Hyderabad
- DSNLU Jabalpur
- NUALS, Kochi
We wish all the qualified teams best wishes for their upcoming rounds.
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Quarter-Finals
4:00 PM – The CI for the quarterfinals rounds has been released to the participants and assessor’s are being briefed regarding the the rounds and the proposition.
4:30 PM – The quarterfinal rounds have begun. The parties are cooperating and acting amicably, and the proceedings got off to a responsive start. While the counsel stresses the importance of maintaining the secrecy of the topics being discussed, the clients are demonstrating a willingness to compromise and have a constructive dialogue throughout. Alongside, mediators are trying to act as a bridge between both the parties.
4:50 PM – Things are becoming a touch intense, so as the negotiations carry on, the teams are debating the specifics of the deal and critically examining the terms and circumstances. The smooth negotiation process is a direct result of the numerous teams’ tremendous effort.
5:30 PM – Now that the rounds have finally come to a close, some teams have succeeded in coming to a consensus, while others have not. However, every side really tried to work out a solution and come to an understanding. Now that the quarterfinal results have been announced, everyone is watching closely as every team is trying to get to the semifinals.
6:00 PM – After a wait of almost 30 minutes, the results for quarter-final rounds are here –
| Semi Final Rounds – Fixtures | ||||
| Rooms | Requesting Party | Responding Party | Mediator 1 | Mediator 2 |
| Room 1 | NLIU, Bhopal | AIL, Mohali | SLS, Hyderabad | NUALS, Kochi |
| Room 2 | KPMSOL | OP Jindal Global University | School of Law, Christ University | School of Excellence in Law, Chennai |
These teams now shall be competing against each other tomorrow to secure their place into the finals rounds. We wish all the teams best of luck for their rounds tomorrow.
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Day 3 – Semi Finals & Finals
Semi-Finals
9:50 AM – The CI for the semi final rounds have been released. While the expert assessors are being briefed in the meanwhile the participating teams are getting themselves prepared with the CI. The GI for the rounds is titled – “Ms. Bellatrix M. Longbottom v. Veemake Games Co. Pvt. Ltd.”.
10:30 AM – The rounds have finally started. with the fixture as NLIU v. AIL, Mohali and KPMSOL v. OP Jindal Global University.The proceedings started with a responsive tone and all the teams are trying to be more cordial to foster a constructive atmosphere for negotiations.
11:00 AM – There are still topics that need to be covered after more than half of the allotted time. In the NLIU and AIL rounds, the teams are attempting to reach an agreement, with team NLIU appearing to be speaking up more than the other team but team AIL is also politely and clearly advancing the negotiations. In addition, mediators attempt to support the parties involved in the negotiations by summarizing each topic that has been discussed so far.
11: 20 AM – The atmosphere in the room during the last stages of the discussions signals that both the seeking and responding parties should come to an agreement and identify a common ground to work from. We shall find out in a matter of minutes whether or not the discussions are successful.
11: 30 AM – The semi-final rounds have concluded, and both team pairs were able to reach a consensus. However, some judges felt that the agreement favored one team over the other. Despite this, all four competing teams gave excellent performances, which will undoubtedly make it difficult for the judges to score the rounds. The competitors has dispersed for a little break before the results are announced.
12:15 PM – Finally the results for the semi-final rounds have been announced. While it was a very tough task for the judges to mark the teams since the competition was intense and it was mainly the small points which made the differentiation in the overall marks scored. The teams are –
| FINALS FIXTURE | |||
| Requesting Party | Responding Party | Mediator 1 | Mediator 2 |
| NLIU, Bhopal | KPMSOL | School of Law, Christ University | NUALS, Kochi |
Finals
12:30 PM – The CI for the rounds have been released for the respective teams. In the meanwhile assessors are being briefed. The rounds shall begin at 1’o clock.
1:00 PM – The final rounds have begin and both the parties seems well-prepared and confident. It is crystal clear that the competition is gonna be intense. Both the parties and mediators being with introducing themselves and laid the framework for the discussions to begin with.
1:20 PM – Discussions have started amicably and while requesting party seems to have an upper hand or dominating position in the negotiations but responding party is also putting in best efforts to make their issues count in and ultimately reach a consensus.
1:35 PM – As the discussions progress, all parties are laying the groundwork for a resolution to the issue. The responding party has presented an offer, to which the requesting party has been suggesting modifications. Nearing the midway mark, proposals and counterproposals are already starting to go around. We’ll find out eventually whether the parties can work things out peacefully.
1:50 PM – Negotiations have reached its last leg and a majority of sub-issues have been discussed. Both the parties have displayed utmost sense of cordial nature towards obtaining viable solutions subduing the agenda.
2:00 PM – After negotiating for almost an hour the parties have to come an agreement and have been successful in formation of an agreement which is favourable to both the parties. The assessors are marking the teams and soon we will know the winner of the 6th SEMC.
2:30 PM – The much awaited moment is here, the results for the 6th RGNUL National Sports & Entertainment Law Mediation Competition, 2024 is as follow –
Winning Negotiating Pair – National Law Institute University, Bhopal
Runners-up Negotiating Pair – KPMSOL, NMIMS, Mumbai
Winning Mediator – School of Law, Christ University, Bengaluru
Runners-up Mediator – National University of Advanced Legal Studies, Kochi
Best Negotiating Pair (Preliminary Rounds) – National Law Institute University, Bhopal
Best Mediator (Preliminary Rounds) – School of Law, Christ University, Bengaluru
Honorable Mentions for 2nd Best Negotiating Pair and 2nd Best Mediator in Preliminary Rounds – SASTRA University, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu and UPES, Dehradun.
Congratulations to all the winners.
